The most 'SCL' of diesels, U36Bs served a weird dual-role on the railroad. They often fronted the hottest trains on the road, especially on the ex-ACL main between Richmond and Florida. They also were paired with GE Mates to work in low-speed service in Florida's Bone Valley phosphate mining region. What - at least in my experience - was more unusual was to see U36B/Mate sets in road service outside Bone Valley. It did happen, though, as on this summer day in Alabama, when a pair of U-boats and a Mate - still wearing some phosphate dust - headed for Birmingham on the old ACL/AB&C.
Photos taken in the Deep South--primarily Alabama and Georgia--from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Featured railroads include the ICG, the West Point Route, SCL, Southern, Frisco, and even KCS.
